Deep within Mount Myōboku, the mist that lingered year-round suddenly froze.
Inside a towering stone hall, an aged figure sat upon a throne.
The Great Toad Sage had his head lowered, his breathing faint and drawn out. He had been asleep for a long time, his aged skin folded in layer upon layer, as though he had fused with the stone seat beneath him.
The next moment, his eyes snapped open.
His once-clouded pupils swiftly regained their clarity.
Immense chakra awakened from deep within his aged body and spread outward through the stone hall. The ground trembled faintly, while years of dust around the throne were pushed aside by an invisible force.
Several toads guarding outside the hall raised their heads at the same time.
"What's going on?"
"This chakra... is the Great Toad Sage waking up?"
"Didn't he just enter hibernation?"
The toads looked at one another.
One of the toads responsible for guarding the stone hall hurriedly pushed open the doors.
The instant he stepped inside, his body froze.
The Great Toad Sage had already left his throne.
His body, so old that it could barely move, now stood steadily below the stone steps. The cloudy film over his eyes had completely vanished, and his gaze was so clear it seemed capable of seeing through time itself.
"Notify Fukasaku."
The Great Toad Sage's voice was no longer muddled.
His deep, weighty words echoed through the stone hall, making the surrounding stone walls tremble faintly.
The guard toad took a long while to react.
He had not seen the Great Toad Sage leave his throne of his own accord in many years, much less heard such a clear and powerful voice from him.
"Go at once!"
The Great Toad Sage spoke again.
The guard toad jolted awake and immediately